Historic snowstorm paralyzes central and eastern Nova Scotia, Canada

A dangerous winter snowstorm brought Nova Scotia to a standstill over the weekend, with record snowfall exceeding 80 cm (31 inches) in many areas, leading to local emergency declarations and widespread travel disruptions.

Nova Scotia experienced dangerous winter conditions over the weekend, resulting in more than 80 cm (31 inches) of snow accumulation in central and eastern regions, bringing parts of the province to a halt. This significant snowfall, one of the heaviest in 20 years for the Maritimes, was caused by an unusual and somewhat stationary system that affected the area.

The Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) and the Eskasoni First Nation were among the hardest-hit areas, both declaring local states of emergency to manage the overwhelming snowfall that has challenged their plow forces and community resources.

The snowstorm, combined with high wind gusts, made travel extremely treacherous, leading the Nova Scotia government and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to urge residents to avoid unnecessary travel.

In Sydney, unofficial records indicated snowfall reaching up to 150 cm (59 inches), with the Halifax area receiving between 40 and 50 cm (16 – 20 inches) since Friday afternoon, February 2, and the Halifax Stanfield International Airport reporting 84 cm (33 inches) of snow.

For Halifax airport, this is the most amount of snow on the ground since 1960 when record keeping began. The snow resulted in numerous flight cancellations and delays, alongside more than 7 000 power outages reported across the province on Monday morning.

If Sydney’s amount is confirmed, this will the the largest two- and three- day snowfall event for the city since records there began in the late 1800s.

School closures and delayed openings of government offices were widespread, except in western municipalities where the snowfall was lighter. Environment Canada meteorologist Ian Hubbard noted the storm’s unusual behavior, as it parked off Nova Scotia’s east coast on Friday afternoon and remained nearly stationary until Monday morning, continually drawing moisture and producing heavy snowfall.

The snowstorm’s impact extended beyond Nova Scotia, with a provincial byelection in Prince Edward Island being postponed due to dangerous driving conditions.

This event comes nearly 20 years after the region was hit by White Juan, a powerful snowstorm that dumped up to 95 cm (37.4 inches) of snow around Halifax. As the storm system moved offshore on Monday, temperatures rose close to or slightly above the freezing point, with fair weather predicted for the remainder of the week, though northern Nova Scotia still saw bands of snow moving through on Monday morning.

References:

¹ Emergency declared in Cape Breton as snowstorm leaves much of Nova Scotia paralyzed – The Canadian Press – February 5, 2024

² Potent storm drops 80+ cm of snow over Noa Scotia, cancellations widespread – The Weather Network – February 5, 2024

Featured image credit: CTV News (stillshot)